Health

All doctors should stop vaccinating children against rotavirus until November, 1999. Rotavirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal disease in infants and young children. Between September 1, 1998 and July 7, 1999, 15 infants who received the vaccine RotaShield developed intussusception. This occurs when one segment of the intestine becomes enfolded within another segment. Thirteen developed this condition within one week of receiving the first dose of the vaccine. All recovered but eight had to have surgery. Parents of children who have received the vaccine should promptly call their doctor if the infant develops vomiting, bloody stools, black stools, abdominal distention, and/or severe colic pain.

Publisher:American Medical AssociationPublication Name:JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical AssociationSubject:HealthISSN:0098-7484Year:1999

Antibiotic dosing - does one size fit all?

Article Abstract:

A new model for determining the appropriate dose of antibiotic for individual patients needs to be implemented quickly. The model uses the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the antibiotic required to inhibit the bacterium and the patient's peak antibiotic blood levels. These two factors could predict the amount of antibiotic needed to eradicate the bacterium in individual patients, since different patients metabolize drugs differently. This also would allow physicians to reduce the rate of treatment failures, which can lead to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Author: Schentag, Jerome J.

Publisher:American Medical AssociationPublication Name:JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical AssociationSubject:HealthISSN:0098-7484Year:1998